Kellum finished city clerk program
As a result of three years of hard work, Municipal Clerk Lindsay Kellum graduated from the Certified Municipal Clerk program on June 25 in Biloxi during the annual Mississippi Municipal League conference.
Kellum said she was happy the Gluckstadt Mayor and Board of Aldermen could be there to see her graduate.
“It was great to have the board at the ceremony,” Kellum said. “I think they felt like proud parents.”
Kellum started the program offered through the Mississippi State Extension Office shortly after she took the job three years ago. Her deputy clerk, Scott Maugh, is also in the program and is slated to complete the course next year.
Mayor Walter Morrison said Kellum and Maugh pursued the program “on their own volition,” which showed commitment to the job and improving themselves.
“I am proud of both of them,” Morrison said.
Developed and conducted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the program provides additional education and expertise to municipal clerks, tax collectors, and deputies.
“I don’t think people realize how many hats we wear,” Kellum said. She went on to call the program and further education in her field “vital” to performing her job as city clerk.
The three-year program covers 30 topics, including purchasing, personnel management, municipal law, and ethics of openness in government. Participants earn their certification after successfully completing topical assessments.
“Municipal clerks play an essential role in local governments and communities in the state,” said Jason Camp, an instructor with the Extension Center for Government and Community Development. “Their positions require a wide range of expertise in local, state and federal laws. Graduates of this program are better prepared for the complex nature of their job.”
The program is sponsored by the Center for Government and Community Development and the Mississippi Municipal Clerks and Collectors Association and accredited by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.